Chances for Ivy League and equivalent schools

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>So I’m looking at applying to Ivy League and equivalent schools this year. My top choices are Pomona, Stanford, Amherst, Duke, and Swarthmore. Other schools on my list are Yale (I have a legacy here), Princeton (high reach), Washington University in St. Louis, Tufts, and Claremont McKenna.</p>

<p>My ultimate goal is to go to law school, so social studies and English courses have been a priority for me.</p>

<p>Academics
-GPA: 3.8-39 (Unweighted), 4.5-4.6 (Weighted)
-SAT was a 2250 (CR 740, M 760, W 750 with an 11 Essay)
-ACT was a 31 (English 35, Reading 32, Math 29, Science 28, 11 Essay)
-PSAT was a 231 (80 on CR and W, 71 on M)
-SAT II US History was a 770
-So far I’ve taken 5 AP Classes (US History, US Gov, Econ Macro and Micro, Calc AB) with a 5 on the US
-Class Rank: Top Decile (my school got rid of class rank this year)</p>

<p>Clubs
-Founding member of Junior Statesmen of America (JSA)
-2 years as JSA Forum Moderator
-1 year as JSA Secretary
-2 years as Vice President of the Latin Club
-3 years as captain of my schools Certamen Team (a Latin trivia game played at the state and national levels)</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars
-I was selected as one of the 4 players at the Latin 2 level from our state to be on the certamen team representing Wisconsin at the national level (NJCL)
-I have lettered twice in swimming
-I organize the off season ultimate frisbee games for the swim team
-I am involved in NHS, particularly with the tutoring aspect
-I have tutored for three years at my elementary school
-I sent in my forms for the Silver Certificate for the Congressional Medal (currently being processed)
-I was one of the 4 students from my school chosen for the school history team, which won first place in both the trivia category and the written test category
-I work as an instructor with my swim club and teach swim lessons to younger children
-I have been involved in various fundraising efforts (i.e. fundraising for relief efforts for the 2008 earthquake in China and for UNICEF)
-I was selected as one of 5 boys from my school to attend Badger Boys State where I was elected to the Supreme Court</p>

<p>Awards
-My freshman and sophomore years I placed top 5 at state for Latin (WJCL) in three categories
-This year, I placed top 5 in 7 categories, winning the state Latin Essay Competition and taking second in two other categories (Mythology and Roman History)
-My certamen team placed 2nd at state
-I won a Silver Medal on the National Latin Exam twice and a Gold Medal on it once
-I won a Silver Medal on the National Medusa Mythology Exam
-I placed 8th at the NJCL convention for Latin Derivatives in Latin 2
-I won the Quill and Scroll award from the International Honorary Society for High School Journalists</p>

<p>I’m not sure if it would be of any interest to the colleges, but I’m an agnostic atheist, which I’m sure is unusual in an applicant.</p>

<p>If you have taken the time to read this and evaluate me, I thank you very much.</p>

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<p>I will definitely chance back for anyone who does the same for me.</p>

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<p>Your ACT score is a tad low, but besides that everything looks in tact to be in serious consideration at all of the schools you have listed. Strong SAT scores, solid GPA and course rigor, and very good ECs with leadership and awards. You will need to take one more SAT II, but assuming a high score there, as well as strong essays and recs, you stand a great chance of admission for all of these schools. Unfortunately, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford are ridiculously selective, but you are certainly in the picture so relax and good luck!</p>

<p>Also, don’t think being an agnostic atheist will help too greatly on your college apps, but that’s very interesting. I too would characterize myself as one.</p>

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<p>Yeah I was just wondering if maybe that could be viewed as adding diversity to the campus. And I probably won’t send my ACT score in because I did much better on the SAT. Thanks</p>

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<p>Quick thing. How can you be both an agnostic and an atheist?</p>

<p>Anyway, I feel as if you and I are sort of in the same boat. Like you, I’ve got some nice awards and very good E.C.s (however, your extracurriculars lack some diversity) and your scores are slightly below average (as are mine). Don’t quote me, but I feel like you have a good shake at everything. Yale, Princeton, and Stanford (which are all reaches for anyone) seem a little too far out of thre unless you get a few different extracurriculars and fix that ACT (just like me! haha)</p>

<p>BTW, Badger State??? Whereabouts in WI are you?</p>

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<p>I’m in Mequon, outside of Milwaukee. And agnostic refers to the flexibility of my beliefs (as opposed to gnostic): as an agnostic, I am more open to religions, where as a gnostic would be a hardliner.</p>

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<p>Okay, because I always thought the difference was that an atheist refuses the existence of any kind of deity or spiritual force and an agnostic simply believes that you really don’t know and could care less.</p>

<p>BTW, I’m in Wales, about 30 minutes outside Milwaukee. I go to Kettle Moraine. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?</p>

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<p>Yeah I have. And you’re right about the agnostic part, except that agnostic and gnostic describe types of theists or atheists. And that’s cool, though I don’t think I know anyone who goes to Kettle Moraine anymore.</p>

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<p>Ah. PM me some names and I can tell you if I know them if you like. You know, where they’re going and that kind of thing</p>

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<p>no the agnostic thing won’t add diversity. everyone and their mothers have started questioning religion. you’ve got a shot btw. i would write a great damn essay</p>

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<p>An agnostic atheist combines the beliefs of both. They deny the existence of a diety (hence the atheist aspect) yet they also realize that they have no proof to fully support their beliefs and make it fact, hence claiming not to have actual knowledge that a diety does not exist, just a belief (agnostic).</p>

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<p>^
Exactly</p>

<p>And thanks for chancing.</p>

<p>Does anyone have recommendations for which subject tests to take? I’m leaning towards the Literature or one of the Maths, but I’m undecided.</p>

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<p>Literature is a challenging test, but you may have the knowledge and background to do very well on it. I did well in my AP english course, yet the literature SAT II kicked my ass after having gotten an 800, 780, and 740 on my other subject tests. In my opinion, your best bet would be the math II test.</p>

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<p>Ok thanks for the suggestion. Yeah I honestly don’t know how I would do on the Lit exam, seeing as my school only lets one take AP English as a senior</p>

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<p>Yeah I agree with philip, Math II is the safest bet for anyone decent in math since its percentile is very kind, 89percentile is 800. I’ve known someone who had 800’s on sat reasoning critical reading but they scored <700 on the sat II lit, so i would not recommend it.</p>

<p>A lot of my friends who did debate got into “pre-law” programs quite easily, have you done any of that kind of stuff?</p>

<p>Don’t worry about religion part… unless you get into like notre dame or something, its not a big issue.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/954601-hypsm-hopeful-chances.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/954601-hypsm-hopeful-chances.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Great chances of getting into all your top choices except Stanford. I do think you’ll get into Yale since you have a legacy there.</p>

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<p>I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t give it a shot. There’s no guarantee, but you’re in the range. Some colleges have a “Why . . .?” Give that your best effort and it will help.</p>

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<p>Yeah. I;ve been told that the “Why…” essay questions have more to do with how well you have researched a college. Can anyone speak to that?</p>

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<p>I forgot to add under awards that I’m ranked 9th in the state for classics overall (I’m in Latin 3 atm, and that ranking includes everyone in Latin 4, Latin 5/AP, etc.)</p>

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<p>Bump</p>

<p>10chars</p>